Falling over - and our other cringe moments

(Photo: Leia Mendes Cook)

Falling over in public is the number one source of embarrassment for Brits, according to a survey.

The poll, by Right Guard, asked 2,000 people about their most embarrassing moments.

For the men, these include realising their fly is undone, while tucking skirts into knickers makes the women cringe.

According to the Daily Mail, the list of embarrassments include bodily malfunctions like grumbling stomachs in meetings, having body odour, food stuck in our teeth, and burping in a quiet room.

Social encounters can also be tricky, with some saying they have been left red-faced bumping into an ex or receiving a big bill they can't pay for.

Other embarrassing moments include gossiping about someone and then realising they are behind you, sending an email or text to the wrong person, being walked in on while in the bathroom, calling a date by the wrong name, and being dumped.

Roxanne Amir-Mohammadi of Right Guard said: "We live in a fast-moving world and we are all guilty of constantly rushing around, which is bound to lead to slip-ups.

"Clearly some of us are more prone to getting ourselves in awkward or unfortunate situations but there aren't many people that can look at that top 20 and say they haven't experienced any themselves.

"The important thing is how you handle those sticky situations and to have a sense of humour or bit of composure does the trick."